Central Frontenac Council - Mar 26/13

Mar 28, 2013

Fate of Parham Library still Unknown

In a verbal report to council regarding the fate of the Parham Library, Central Frontenac's chief building officer, Jeremy Neven, reported that moving the library portable to township property as a temporary solution and ensuring that it has adequate washrooms facilities could likely impose a cost of close to $40,000. He said a similar project cost North Frontenac Township $38,000.

This opened up a storm of disagreement among councilors after it was established that moving the portable to the Parham fire hall was not an option since there are not adequate washroom and parking facilities there.

Asked if it would be possible to rent the current facility from the school board in the interim, Cathy MacMunn replied that she was continuing to look into that as a possible option. Mayor Gutowski strongly opposed putting money into moving the portable to township property at this time. “We do not have anything allocated in the budget for this move. I am very sorry to say this but I think we have to face the music. I don't think this is viable and don't see it as the best use of our taxpayers' dollars.” Councilor Norm Guntensperger put forth a motion to use the Piccadilly hall as a temporary location until other arrangements can be made. “That is what I see as the most cost effective option at this time. The Piccadilly hall is under used and is equipped with the required facilities so it would be a win/win situation. If we opt to lose the library now, we will likely never get it back,” he said.

Councilor Tom Dewey agreed. “A move to Piccadilly would be the cheapest and easiest way to deal with the situation right now.” Further discussion about how much use the library would get in Piccadilly and the resulting non-use of that hall for other functions were other issues raised.

Councilor Frances Smith said that a move to Piccadilly might result in less use of the library but said that council should continue to look into other possible options, like renting space elsewhere. “I think we need to keep investigating this,” she said. A final motion put forth to move the library temporarily to the Piccadilly hall was defeated, leaving the fate of the library still undecided.

New Ad Hoc committee to review township hall usage and rentals fees

Much discussion followed a report by Jeremy Neven outlining the structure of costs and rental fees for the six community halls in the township. The halls' rental fees, which range from $40 to $110/day and $5 per hour in some cases, are often free for non-profit community groups. The cost of operating the halls after fees are paid is close to $30,000. Neven suggested four options in his report: 1) keep the existing rates and accept the revenue shortfall 2) close one or more of the halls 3) increase rental fees or 4) introduce cancellation fees.

It was finally decided that more information was needed before overhauling the halls' fee structure. “These places are the hearts of our communities and we need to discuss this with the public before making a final decision on this”, said Mayor Gutowski. She then suggested creating an ad hoc committee made up of councilors and representatives from the various rec committees and other community group users to discuss the issues and to bring a report back to staff. Jeff Matson, Norm Guntensperger, Wayne Millar and the mayor all volunteered to be part of the committee.

Council tables budget until County passes theirs

Following a presentation to council by Vicki Leakey of KMPG of Kingston, in which she reviewed the township's financial statements and gave a brief auditor's report, CF Treasurer Michael McGovern outlined the adjustments made to the operating budget. There were $150,000 in cuts matched by additional items added to allow for the council's goal of a 2.5% tax rate increase.

Following a few minor adjustments to those cuts, Councilor Tom Dewey asked McGovern how the budget might be affected by the fact that the County has yet to set their budget. “When we know the County rates, we will make our own adjustments accordingly,” McGovern replied.

Councilor Frances Smith did not like the idea of rushing to pass the budget. “If the County rate goes down, we could opt for a 1.5% rate increase instead of 2.5% . I see no reason to rush this through. I think we should wait another month”, she said. McGovern did not agree. “I'd like to move forward with this now because the asset management plan will take 4-6 months to get together.”

When the final motion was read, Councilor Smith suggested tabling the budget approval until the next meeting, adding, “I strongly believe that if there are savings at the County level, they should be passed along to the taxpayers instead of trying to add more projects. A 2.5% increase is a lot of money when you are only bringing in $1,000 a month.” When the final motion was read council decided to table the budget until County passed theirs.

Council approves a 50% increase in By law and Animal Enforcement fees

A motion was passed to re-hire the company Frontenac Municipal Law Enforcement to take care of animal control and by-law enforcement in the township. Company representative Ken Gilpin appeared before council and responded to queries about why his fees have increased by close to 50%. He responded that his fees have remained the same since 1997 and the increase reflected the higher costs of doing business. Council agreed to rehire the company for another year.